Pour spout carton



Sept. 25, 1962 w. s. HASSLER 3,055,571

POUR SPOUT CARTON Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 war-r39 P 5, 1962w. s. HASSLER 3,055,571

POUR SPOUT CARTON Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 sheets-sheet 2 lFze ar-cir Mfar/m- Qatari-29,

Sept. 25, 1962 w. s. HASSLER 3,055,571

POUR SPOUT CARTON Filed Dem 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3,

d MXML @Ymsv Sept. 25; 1962 w. s. HASSLER 3,055,571

POUR SPOUT CARTON Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 hlnj w mi LZzkyie d f'caiz ilb sage? 4 MKMM- dianw-gev V United States Patent 0153,055,571 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 ice POUR SPOUT CARTON Winfield ScottHassler, Glenview, II]. (11 2 W. Kin zie St., Chicago 10, 11].)

Filed Dec. 14,1959, Ser. No. 859,466 13 Claims- (Q 229-917) Thisinvention relates generally to cartons formed from flat blanks ofrelatively stiff material such as paperboard, corrugated boards, orsheet plastic andhaving spaced side walls joined by an end wall andconnected along corresponding upper edges to top flaps which are foldedinto overlapping relation and secured together to close one end of thecarton. More particularly, the invention relates to a rectangular cartonin which the top flaps terminate short of the end wall to form adischarge opening and such opening is closed by a spout having a bottomwall hinged on such end wall and at least one side wall movable alongthe inner side of the adjacent side wall of the carton.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a carton of the abovecharacter with a spout constructed in a novel manner for use with highproduction automatic closing mechanism while still utilizing the sameamount of material as previous cartons without spouts, enabling thecarton to be filled completely and facilitating the discharge of allmaterial from the carton.

Another object is to construct the spout and adjacent carton parts in anovel manner to achieve releasable detention of the spout in differentrelative positions of closure of the discharge opening.

Afurther object is to construct the spout side walls in a novel mannerto facilitate closing of the carton by presently available automaticclosing mechanisms while still accommodating guides for confining themovement of the side walls of the spout along and closely adjacent theside walls of the carton.

A more detailed object is to locate the guides on the inner sides of thespout side walls while relieving these walls at predetermined points toreceive the guides during the closing operations.

Still another object is to construct the spout side walls and adjacentcarton walls in a novel manner facilitating retention of control of thespout walls during the closing operations.

A further object is to. close the carton with the spout by a novelmethod enabling existing closing apparatus to.

manipulate the parts.

Theinvention also resides in the novel manner of closing the spoutagainst seepage of material fromjwithin the carton while facilitatingthe opening of the spout.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfromthe following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1. is a perspective view of acarton witha pouring spout embodying thenovel features of the presentinvention; 7

FIG. 2 is a laid out viewgof the blank used in forming the carton ofFIG. 1; i h

FIG. 3 isa fragmentary enlargedview of a part of FIG. 2; i i i 7 FIG; 4is a fragmentary side elevational view of a carton in its flattenedship'ping condition} FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary perspectiveviews showing progressive steps in the closing of the top of the carton;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a part of the carton includingone guide for the. spout side wall; I

FIGS. 10 and 11 are fragmentary perspective views similar to FIGS. 5through 8, and showing subsequent steps in the closing operation;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the sealing sheet andtear string on the closed carton;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1, butincluding the torn sealing sheet;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modifiedconstruction of the relieved spout side wall;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and showing a modified spout and endflap construction;

FIG. 16 is a view of the modified construction similar. to FIG. 8 in theclosing operation;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modified constructionwith the spout in open position;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 12 and showing a modified sealingsheet and tear string construction; and

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a plurality of attached sealing sheets withattached tear strings.

While I have shown in the drawings and will describe herein thepreferred embodiment of my'invention, it is to be understood that 1 donot intend to be limited to such disclosure. Instead, I desire to coverall modifications and alternative constructions coming within the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In general, the carton shown in the drawings to illustrate the presentinvention is of. rectangular shape with parallel side walls 20 and 21joined by parallel end walls 22 and 23 along fold. lines 24 (FIG. 2),.Connected to the lower edges of these walls are bottom flaps 25 whichare folded and secured together in a well 'known manner to close thebottom of the carton. Connected toupper edges of the side walls along.fold lines 26 are topflaps 27' and 28 which are folded intooverlappingrelation and onto one end flap 29 in the closing of the carton to formone end wall. This end flap is an extension of one end wall 23 and thetop flaps extend toward but shortof the second end'wall 22 to leave. aspace for a. discharge opening 30 (FIG. 1). To secure; the outermostside and end walls 20- and 23 together, a narrowside flap 31 isconnected to that sidewall along a scorev line 82 and, inthe finishedcarton lies against. and is secured to the inner side of that end flap.i

The discharge opening 30 is closed by a spout33 having a bottom wall 34hinged to the second end wall 22 to swing into and out of a closedposition over, the opening and at least one side wall '35 lying alongthe inner: side of the adjacent carton side wall. Preferably, as shownin the drawings, the spout bottomwall is formed as an extension of thesecond end wall and there are two spout side walls 35 and 36, one lyingalong the inner side of each carton side wall.

39 between the bottom wall and the side walls 35 and 86 set inwardlyfrom the fold lines 24 at the end=walledges (FIG. 2) to enable the spoutwallsto liealong the carton side walls without binding. To maintain thesidewalls of the spout against the positions of thespout, a guide tab 37projects outwardly from at least one of the top flaps 27 and 28alongside each carton side wall to cooperate with the latter anddefine aguide slot 38 (FIGS. 8 and 9) receiving the free edge of the adjacentside wall of the spout. In the construction shown in FIGS. 1 to 13,there are twotabs-37 each project ing from the innermosttop flap 28v andcooperating with the adjacent carton side walls to define two guideslots for receiving the two side walls of the spout.

The spacing from the second end wall 22'of the ad'- jacent end edge ofthe inner top flap 28 is slightly greater than the spacing of the freeedge of the bottom wall 34 of the spout 33so that the flap limitsdownward The bottomspout wall is slightly narrower than the second endwall 22' with the fold lines carton side walls,20 and-21 in all thebottom wall- 34 lies shown in FIG. 11. A notch 40 is cut in the edge ofthe outer flap to facilitate opening of the spout. Outward swinging ofthe spout is limited by engagement of the inner side of the inner flapby stop members 41 projecting outwardly from the outer edges of thespout walls 35 and 36, such edges lying on circles centered on junctionsof the fold lines 39 and the hinged edge 42 of the spout and havingradii equal to or less than the spacing of the bottom of the guide slots38 from the hinged edge.

To control the position of the spout 33 and thereby facilitate thedischarge of the contents from the carton, the present invention, in oneof its aspects, contemplates the provision of holding elements 43 and 44for retaining the spout releasably in its closed position and in anyother desired position within its range of swinging. These elements takethe form of projections extending outwardly beyond the curved outeredges of the spout side walls 35 and 36 and defining detent recesses 45and 46 which receive the inner end flap at the bottom of the guideslots. These projections are spaced from the hinge edge 42 of the spouta distance slightly greater than the bottoms of the slots 38 so as toengage the inner end fiap 28 during their movement through the slots andthereby interfere with the movement of the spout when the inner end flapis within the detent recesses. The interference between the projectionsand the inner flap occurs without damage to the parts due to theyieldability of the sheet material.

In the present instance, the detent projections hold the spout 33releasably in its closed position and a fully open position. For thispurpose, one projection 43 on each side wall is spaced a short distancefrom the bottom wall so as to cooperate therewith to define a recess 45receiving the inner flap 28 in the closed position of the spout. Whilesuch recesses may be provided at various points along the curved outeredges of the spout side walls as by serrating such edges (see FIG. 14),only one other detent recess 46 is provided in this instance in theconstruction of FIGS. 1 to 13. This is defined in each spout side wallby the other projection 44 and the stop member 41 on the wall. With thisrecess, the user of the carton may move the spout to its open positionwith one hand and the spout will remain detented in such position whilethe user continues to use only one hand in further manipulation of thecarton.

The improved carton is especially adapted to be formed from a sheet ofmaterial as a blank in a well known manner on punching apparatus havingdies to cut completely through the sheet where severance is desired, toscore the material without perforating along the various fold lines 24,26, 32 and 42, and to form perforated lines where it is desired to makethe connected parts separable. Such a blank for the carton describedthus far is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. After the blank is formed bythe manufacturer, it is partially assembled into a flattened conditionin which it is retained until it is to be filled and closed. In suchflattened condition illustrated in FIG. 4, the side flap 31 is bentinwardly to underlie the outermost end wall 23 which is disposed in thesame plane as the outermost carton side wall 20 and the adjacent spoutside wall 36. The second end wall 22, the bottom wall 34 of the spoutand the second spout side wall 35 lie in the same plane as the othercarton side wall 21. The cartons are usually shipped in this conditionbut, after the folding and securing of the side flap 31 to the overlyingend wall 23 as by adhesive, is subjected to a reverse folding orprebreaking operation in which the side walls are shifted edgewise tobring each end wall into the plane of a different one of the side wallsand then are returned to the original flattened condition shown in FIG.4.

In another and important aspect, the present invention contemplates anovel construction of the spout walls and adjacent parts of the cartonand method of closing the spout end of the carton to permit the use ofthe guide tabs 37 and stop projections 41 while still rendering thecarton readily adaptable for use with commercially available top orbottom closing apparatus either before or after the bottom has beenclosed and the carton has been filled. To these ends, the spout sidewalls 35 and 36 are connected releasably to the adjacent carton sidewalls for retention of control of these parts until they are insertedbetween the carton side walls. Also, the spout side wall 35 adjacent thetop flap 28 with the guide tabs 37 has a portion 47 which is relieved soas to avoid interference with the adjacent guide tab and thereby permitinward swinging of the tab with its top flap past the spout wall, suchrelieved portion being located in registry with the tab during theclosing step of folding the top flap inwardly. Such folding is utilizedto form the guide slot 38 adjacent the connected side wall 21 by a novelarrangement of severance lines 48 which also eliminate the necessity ofcleaning the slot.

The releasable connection 49 between each of the spout side walls 35 and36 and the respective carton side walls 21 and 20 providing control overthe spout walls preferably is formed by only partially completing theline 50 of severance between each spout wall and its carton wall, suchconnection thereby being formed along with the other parts of the blank.In the present instance, the connection for each spout wall comprisestwo nicks which are strong enough to hold the spout side walls in theplanes of their carton walls during the folding and gluing operations bythe carton manufacturer and also during unfolding of the carton from itsflattened shipping condition, but are weak enough to break to releasethe spout walls when an inward pressure is exerted on the walls duringthe closing and sealing operations. Other than these nicks, each spoutside wall is completely severed from the adjacent carton side wall.

To permit inward movement of the guide tab 37 with the inner top flap28, the relieved portion 47 in the adjacent spout side wall 35 may takevarious forms. In the preferred form shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, a recess iscut in the spout wall and extends inwardly from the outer rounded edgeof the wall intermediate the ends of such edge. This recess is largeenough to receive and permit passage of the guide tab 37 (FIG. 7) whilethe spout is positioned in registry with the recess. To insure that theguide tab passes on the inner side of the spout wall so that the latteris disposed within the guide slot 38, the tab and the recess preferablyare formed in the top flap 28 and spout side wall 35 which lie in theplane of the bottom spout wall 34 and the second end wall 22 in theflatened condition of the carton. By virtue of this relation and due tothe resilience of the carton material, the recessed spout wall tends toswing out against the adjacent inner side of the carton side wall andmay be said to retain fight so as to achieve such positioning.

In an alternative form of relieved portion shown for purposes ofillustration in FIG. 14, a radial slit 51 is cut in the spout side wall35 to extend inwardly from the curved edge and join a circumferentialslit 52 to form two flaps 53 which remain connected to the wall alongradial fold lines 54. The flaps thus are free to swing inwardly topermit passage of the adjacent guide tab 37 while tending to swing backinto the plane of the side wall due to the resilience of the cartonmaterial.

'Formation of the guide slot 38 on the side of the inner top flap 28adjacent its connected side wall 21 is achieved as an incident to inwardswinging of this flap by utilizing a line 48 of severance of L-shape.One leg of such line extends substantially normal to the top edge 26 ofthe side wall of the carton and the other leg intersects the first legand the cut for the guide tab and parallels and is spaced inwardly fromsuch top edge (-FIG. 9). The line of severance and the cut for theguide'tab thus define a lug 55 which remains connected to the cartonside wall and in the plane of such wall to leave the guide slot clearwhen the top flap is folded at right angles to the side wall. The lugthus being connected to the side wall, no effort need be m'adeto cleanmaterial out of the slot. To provide the guide slot 38 adjacent the tabon the free edge of the inner fiap 28, that tab is notched on its outerside as shown clearly in FIG. 3.

Prior to the top closing operations, let it be assumed that the cartonsidewalls and 21 and end walls 22 and 23 have been shifted into theirfinal parallel relationships, that the bottom flaps 25 have been foldedand sealed to close the bottom of the carton, and that the carton hasbeen filled with its contents. The carton is then ready for the topclosing operations with the top flaps 27 and 28 and end flaps 29 and 34upstanding substantially in the planes of.their respective carton Wallsand the spout side walls 35 and 36 remain connected to their respectivecarton walls by the nicks 49, all as shown in FIG. 5. The first step inclosing the top is to apply an inward force to the'side walls of thespout as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6 to break the nicks '49 andswing the side walls inwardly with respect to the carton side walls. Itis contemplated that this force and other forces for folding the variousparts as will be described may be applied manually orpreferably arederived in automatic packing apparatus by various manipulating membersplaced along a path through which the carton advances, such apparatusalso including, where desired, suitable means for applying securingmaterial such as adhesive to the flaps.

After the spout side walls are shifted inwardly, inward forces areapplied to the end flap 29 and the bottom wall 34 of the spout, asindicated by arrows in FIG. 7, to swing these .parts inwardly. Theamount of swinging of the spout bottom wall is selected to bring therecess 47 into registry with the adjacent guide tab 37 on the inner topflap 28. Then, while this registry is maintained, that inner flap isfolded onto the end flap 29 by applying an inward and downward force asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 8. During this swinging, the other guidetab 37 on the free edge of the top flap moves downwardly along the innerside .of the other spout side wall 36 to locatethat Wall in the guidenotch 38 of the other guide tab. .As anincident to downward swinging ofthe inner flap, the guidetab 37 adjacent the connected edge of the innerflap is separated from the lug to form one guide slot 38 while leavingthe lug attached to the adjacent carton side wall so that the guide slotautomatically is free of material. By virtue of the recess 47, bendingof the guide tab 37 is avoided in the closing of the top of.

the carton.

When the inner flap 28 has been seated in its inner position on the endflap 29, the spout 33 is shifted into its closed position by an innerand downward force exerted on'the bottom 'wall 34 as indicated by thearrow in FIG. 10. 'During this movement and the previous inward swingingof the inner flap 28, the adjacent recessed spout wall 35 remains flatagainst the adjacent carton side wall due to the resilience of thematerial and the previous location of that spout side wall in the sameplane as the bottom wall of the spout when the carton was in itsflattened condition shown in FIG. 4. Finally, the outer top flap 27 isswung to its closed position by an inward and downward force'asindicated by the arrow in FIG/l1. By virtue of the adhesivematerialpreviously applied to the flaps, the inner top flap 28 issecured to the endfiap 29 and the outer top flap 27 is secured to" theinner top" flap 28.

In accordance with the present invention in another of its aspects,novel means is provided to seal against seepage of material outwardlyaround the spout 33 from the carton interior and, at the same'time, tofacilitate opening of the carton for discharge of the contents throughthe spout. This means comprises a sheet 56 of impervious 'materialspanning the juncture between the bottom. wall 34 of the closed spoutand the adjacent carton parts and secured to the bottom wall and suchadjacent parts so as to block the flow of material outwardly throughsuch juncture. Uncovering of the spout is effected by" a tear or zipstring or tape 57 whichis-secured to the impervious sheet and followsthe outline of the edges of the spout bottom wall to insure release ofthe spout for movement out of its closed position when the sheet is tornby pulling onthe string. Tearing of the sheet precisely along thecontour of the spout bottom wall is insured further by forming inthesheet a perforated tear line 58 (FIG. 18) which registers both withthe string and the edge of the bottom spout wall.

The impervious sheet 56 in this instance is a rectangular labelextending inwardly across the bottom wall 34 of the closed'spout 33 andbeyond the free edge of that wall and having its end portions lyingagainst and secured to the side walls 20 and 21 of the carton. Theintermediate portion of the label is secured to the spout bottom walland to the outermost top flap 27 and, being impervious, prevents siftingof the carton contents out of the carton around the spout. Such sealingis especially important where the carton has been filled with an easilyfiowable material such as a powder and is being covered by an overwrap,that is, an overlying sheet of material completely covering and securedto the exterior of the carton. A plurality of the labels with theirindividual tear strings 57 attached conveniently may be connectedtogether as parts of a single strip with adjacent labels separated byperforated tear lines 59, as shown in FIG. 19, where, as in thisinstance, the edges of'the bottom wall of the spout form a U, each tearstring following an identical U-shaped pattern.

The labels 56 may be formed of many materials well known in the art andmay be secured to the carton and the tear strings 57 in a well knownmanner, for example, by moisture-sensitive adhesive such as glue appliedto the label, by so-called cohesive materials whichare applied to boththe labels-and the strings and stick to each other but not to othermaterials, or by heat sealable plas-. tic materials. One material foundsuitable for labels is a kraft paper with water-sensitive glue on theside with the tear string. With such a material having a grain, theperforations 58 following the contour of the string are particularlyadvantageous to insure that the paper tears along the desired outlinewhen the string is pulled even though the tearing changes direction andis against or extends transversely of the grain. Such desired tearingmay be effected with the string attached to the label all along thelength of the string or at points spaced along the string,

preferably close together.

In applying the label 56 to the carton after the previous closingoperations have been completed as described above, care should be takento insurethat the tear string 57 registers accurately with theperipheral outline of the bottom wall of the spout and that the label issecured to the bottom wall 34 of the spout, the carton side walls 20 and21, and the outer top flap 27 closely adjacent and on both sides of thestring. This insures an effective seal to prevent seepage of materialfrom the carton and around the spout. Preferably, and to insure propertearing, one end is secured to the carton as by glue while the other endremains free. The label should remain intact until it is desired todischarge the contents of the carton. At this time, the free end of thetear string is pulled with a continuing upward pressure to rip the labelalong the line overlying the string, tearing along such line beinginsured by perforating the label as indicated at 58. With properregistry of the string and the edges of the bottom wall of the spout,these edges should beuncovered as the string is pulled to tear thelabel. After the tearing is completed, the spout then should be free tomove into its various positions.

To raise the spout 33 from its closed position, the user simply raisesthe bottom wall 34 of the spout by engaging the outer edge thereof andapplying an upward force. During swinging of the spout out of the closedposition,

the detent projections 43 adjacent the bottom wall engage, but movepast, the parts of the inner flap 28 at the bottom of the guide slots38. The spout then may move freely to its fully open position where itis held by the other projections 44 adjacent the stop lugs 41. In thisposition and any intermediate position, the spout side walls areretained by the guide tabs 37 against the carton side walls to preventoutward flow of material between the two and confine such flow to theinner sides of the spout side walls and along the bottom wall. By virtueof the extension of the spout substantially across the full width of thecarton and at the upper edge thereof, the carton may be filled morefully than cartons having spouts spaced from the top of the carton.Also, all of the contents may be discharged easily.

If it is desired to close the carton after discharge of part of thecontents, the spout is moved to the closed position simply by pressinginwardly and downwardly on the bottom wall 34. In the final part of thismovement, the projections 43 adjacent such wall engage and move past theinner flap 28 at the bottoms of the slots 38 so as to retain the spoutreleasably in its closed position.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 1 through 13, where both guide tabsare formed on only the inner flap 28, it is possible that, during theclosing operation, the side and end walls of the carton may be separatedslightly so that the free edge of the inner flap and the guide tab 37thereon are spaced from the adjacent carton side wall 20 too far tocontrol accurately the position of the adjacent spout side wall 36 andmaintain the two side walls in close engagement. There is then thepossibility of outward sifting of material between the spout side walland the carton side wall. These difiiculties are overcome in themodified construction shown in FIGS. 15 through 17, where partscorresponding to parts in FIGS. 1 to 13 bear similar but primedreference characters. To this end, each of the top flaps 27 and 28 isformed with a guide tab 37 adjacent the fold line 26 of connection withthe associated carton side wall. With this construction, each guide slot38 remains of a constant width regardless of separation of the cartonwalls or their canting out of parallelism.

To strengthen the guide tabs 37' defining each slot 38' it is preferredto form two guide tabs on each top flap in the modified construction, sothat each slot is defined by two overlapping tabs. This construction isshown in FIGS. 15 through 17, where it will be seen that both top flapsare of substantially the same extent so that, in the closed position ofthe spout, the bottom wall overlies the outer flap. To accommodate theadditional guide flaps in the modified construction, both spout sidewalls 27' and 28' are formed with recesses 47 to accommodate and permitpassage of the adjacent guide tabs during the closing operations.

In the closing operations of the modified construction, the steps arethe same as in the case of the construction of FIGS. 1 through 13,except that instead of bringing only one recess 47' into registry withone guide tab 37 both recesses are maintained in registry with theiradjacent guide tabs, as shown in FIG. 16, during inward swinging of theinner flap 28' and then the outer flap 27'. The operation of themodified construction is also the same, the spout side walls beingconfined positively by the reinforced guide tabs for movement along andclosely adjacent the carton side walls to insure that no sifting occursbetween these walls.

With the spout bottom wall 34 substantially of the same width as thesecond end wall 22 of the carton and hinged to the upper edge thereofand with the side walls 35 and 36 of the spout lying against the cartonside walls 20 and 21, the carton may be filled nearly completely withoutspillage when the spout is open. Also, the contents may be dischargedcompletely through the spout simply by tipping the carton to incline thesecond end wall downwardly toward the spout. These desirablecharacteristics are made possible along with adaptability to automaticclosing mechanisms by virtue of the novel method of closure and thenovel structural features described above. Contributing further to thedesirability of the improved carton for high production packagingoperations is the novel sealing sheet 56 and its tear string 57 forsealing the spout opening while insuring quick and accurate opening andrelease of the spout.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carton having first and second side walls each connected alongopposite side edges to end walls and along a part of one top edge to adifferent one of two top flaps, said flaps each having one end spacedfrom a first one of said end walls and being folded inwardly intooverlapping relation with the other flap, two guide tabs projecting fromsaid one end of each of said top flaps adjacent the respective cartonside walls and spaced from the latter to cooperate therewith and defineslots opening toward said first end wall, said tabs on each flapoverlapping and being secured to the respective tabs of the other flapto form rigid guide members, and a spout having a bottom wall hinged onsaid first end wall and side walls with outer edge portions extendinginto said slots and confined therein for movement of the spout sidewalls closely adjacent the carton side walls during swinging of thebottom wall.

2. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having a top edge and a top flap formed integral with the wallalong the edge and folded out of the plane of the wall and intooverlapping relation with the other flap, said flaps being spaced at oneend from one of said end walls and having a slot extending adjacent andlongitudinally of said top edge of its associated side wall and inwardlyfrom the end of the flap spaced from the one end wall, and a spouthaving a bottom wall pivotally connected to said one end wall and sidewalls lying along said carton side walls and having outer edge portionsextending into said slots so as to be guided for movement along thecarton side walls during swinging of the bottom wall, portions of saidflaps being cut away to form said slots and such cut away portionsremaining connected to and lying in the plane of the respective cartonside walls after folding of the flap out of the plane.

3. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having a top edge and a top flap formed integral with the wallalong the edge and folded out of the plane of the wall and intooverlapping relation With the other flap, said flaps being spaced at oneend from one of said end walls and at least one of the flaps having aslot extending adjacent and longitudinally of said top edge of itsassociated side wall and inwardly from the end of the flap spaced fromthe one end wall, and a spout having a bottom wall pivotally connectedto said one end wall and a side wall lying along said associated sidewall and having an outer edge portion extending into said slot so as tobe guided for movement along the side wall during swinging of the bottomwall, a portion of said slotted flap being cut away to form said slotand such cut-away portion remaining connected to and lying in the planeof said associated side wall after folding of the flap out of the plane.

4. A carton having fiat rectangular first and second side walls eachconnected along opposite side edges to end walls and along a part of onetop edge to a different one of two top flaps, each of said flaps havingone end spaced from a first one of said end walls, a guide tab securedto a first one of said top flaps which is connected to said first sidewall, said guide tab projecting from said one end of said first flap andtoward said first end wall and said first end wall, side wall and topflap lying in a common plane alongside said second end wall, the otherside wall and the other flap, a spout having a bottom wall hinged to andlying in the plane of said first top flap and first and second sidewalls lying in the planes of the respective carton side walls betweensaid first end wall and said, one end of the top flaps, said first spoutside wall lying in the plane of said first carton side wall and said endwall and having an outer edge portion adapted to be guided by and fitbehind said guide tab after folding of said first flap out of the planeof the first carton side wall and toward the second carton side wall,and meanson said first spout side wall defining a relieved portion forreceiving said guide tab to permit said folding of said first top flap.

5. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having a top edge and a top flap connected tothe wall at theedge and extending short of a first one of the end walls, a spout havinga bottom wall pivotally connected to the top edge of said firstendwalland side walls lying along the inner sides of said box side wallswith their outer edge portions extending short of said top flaps, andguide tabs one projecting toward said one first end wall from at leastone of said top flaps adjacent each of said top edges and cooperatingwith the adjacent side wall to define a-recess receiving said outer edgeportion of the adjacent spout side wall to guide the latter for movementalong the side wall, at least one of said guide tabs being formedintegral with the associated top flap and swinging inwardly with suchflap and said outer edge portion of the adjacent flap having a recessintermediate its ends to receive such guide tab and permit the inwardswinging of the tab with the flap.

6. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having a top edge and a top fiap formed integral with the wallalong the edge and folded out of the plane of the wall and intooverlapping relation with the other flap, said flaps being spaced at oneend from one of said end walls and at least one of the flaps having aslot extending along said top edge of its associated side wall andinwardly from the end of the flap spaced from the one end wall, and aspout having a bottom wall pivotally connected to said one end wall anda side wall lying along said associated carton side wall and having anouter edge portion extending into said slot so as to be guided formovement along the carton side wall during swinging of the bottom wall,said outer edge portion of said spout side wall having a relievedsection to receive the part of said slotted flap adjacent the slot andthereby avoid interference with inward swinging of the flap out of theplane of said associated carton side wall when the spout side wall islying along the inner side of the carton wall.

7. A carton having fiat first and second side walls each joined alongopposite side edges to end walls and along a portion of one top edge toa different top flap forming an extension of the side wall and havingone end spaced from a first one of the said end walls, said top flapsbeing folded inwardly toward each other and into overlapping relationwith each other, and a spout having a bottom wall formed as an integralextension of said first end wall and pivotally joined thereto along ascore line and side walls formed as integral extensions of said cartonside Walls between the first end wall and said ends of said top flapsand joined to the bottom wall pivotally along fold lines and to therespective carton side walls along score lines perforated to leave atleast one nick between each spout side wall and its carton side wall,said nicks retaining said spout side walls in the planes of therespective carton side walls during part of the closing operations onthe carton while being easily severable to free the spout side walls formovement during another part of the closing operations.

8. A carton having a fiat side wall joined along one side edge to an endwall and along a portion of a top edge to a top flap forming anextension of the side wall and having one end spaced from said end wall,said top flap being folded laterally from said side wall, and a spouthaving a bottom wall formed as an integral extension of said end walland pivotally joined theretoalong a score line and a side wall formed asan integral extension of said carton side wallbetween the end wall andsaid end of said top flap and joined to the bottom wall pivotally alonga fold line and to the carton side wall along a scoreline perforated toleave at leastone nick between the spout side wall and the carton sidewall, said nick retaining said spout side wall in the plane of thecarton side wall during part of the closing operation on the cartonwhile being easily severable to free the spout side wall for movementduring another part of the closing operation.

- 9. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having a top edge extending between the end walls and a topflap formed integral with the edge and folded toward and intooverlapping relation with the top flap on the other side wall, said topflaps extending from one end wall short of the other end wall, a spouthaving a bottom wall pivotally connected to said'other end Wall and sidewalls connected to the bottom wall and lying along the inner sides ofsaid box side walls with their outer edge portions extending short ofsaid top flaps, guidetabs one projecting toward said other end wall fromat least one of said top flaps adjacent each of said top edges andcooperating with the adjacent side wall to define a recess receivingsaid outer edge portion of the adjacent spout side wall, 1

a stop lug projecting outwardly from said outer edge portion of at leastone of said spout side walls and engaging the inner side of theinnermost one of said flaps to limit outward swinging of said spout toan open position, and lug means projecting outwardly from said outeredge of at least one of said spout side walls between said stop lug andsaid bottom wall and cooperating with said stop lug to hold said spoutreleasably in said open position.

10. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by end wallsand each having atop edge extending between the end walls and a top flapformed integral with the edge and folded toward and into overlappingrelation with the top flap on the. other side wall, said top flapsextending from one end wall short of the other end wall, a spout havinga bottom wall pivotally connected to said other end wall and side wallsconnected tothe bottom a wall and lying along the inner sides of saidbox side walls with their outer edge portions extending short of saidtop fiaps guide tabs one projecting toward said other end wall from atleast one of said top flaps adjacent each of said top edges andcooperating with the adjacent side wall to define a recess receivingsaid outer edge portion of the adjacent spout wall, and lug meansprojecting outwardly from and beyond said outer edge of at least one ofsaid spout side walls at a point spaced from said bottom wall andengaging at least one of said top flaps to hold said spout releasably inan open position.

11. A carton having laterally spaced side walls connected by an end walland each having a top flap edge extending along a top edge short of theend wall and folded toward and into overlapping relation with the topflap on the other side wall, a spout having a bottom wall pivotallyconnected to said end wall and at least one side wall connected to thebottom wall and lying along the inner sides of an adjacent one of saidbox side walls with its outer edge portion extending short of said topflaps, a guide tab one projecting toward said other end wall from atleast one of said top flaps adjacent said spout side wall andcooperating with the adjacent carton side wall to define a recessreceiving said outer edge portion of the spout side wall, and lug meansprojecting outwardly beyond said outer edge of said spout side wall andengaging at least one of said top flaps to hold said spout releasably inan open position.

12. In combination with a carton having a wall with a discharge openingtherein and a spout closing said opening and formed with a bottom wallhinged along one edge 11 to the carton wall to swing between a closedposition adjacent the wall and an outer open position, a covercomprising a sheet of tearable material secured to said bottom spoutwall and the adjacent parts of the carton and covering the juncturebetween such adjacent parts and the edges of the bottom wall other thansaid hinged edge to form a seal retaining the contents of the cartonagainst seepage at the juncture, and a tear string secured to the innerside of said cover sheet with an exposed end portion extending to theouter side of the sheet, said string following the contour of andregistering with said other edges of said bottom wall of the spout andsecured to said cover sheet at points along the other edges to tearthrough the sheet along such other edges to uncover said opening andfree the spout for movement between its open and closed positions.

13. For use with a carton having a wall with a discharge opening thereinand a spout closing said opening and formed with a bottom wall hingedalong one edge to the carton wall to swing between a closed positionadjacent the wall and an outer open position, a cover comprising a sheetof tearable material adapted to be secured to said bottom spout wall andthe adjacent parts of the carton and covering the juncture between suchadjacent parts and the edges of the bottom wall other than the hingededge to form a seal retaining the contents of the carton against seepageat the juncture, said cover being perforated along a tear lineregistering with said other edges of said bottom wall when the cover issecured to that wall and said adjacent carton parts, and a tear stringsecured to the inner side of said cover sheet and following saidperforated tear line to tear through the sheet along such line touncover said opening and free the spout for movement between its openand closed positions when the string is pulled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,139,490 Clary et al May 18, 1915 1,546,600 Morris July 21, 19251,847,028 Rownsend Feb. 23, 1932 2,362,942 Spalding Nov. 14, 19442,392,479 Humbert Jan. 8, 1946 2,570,982 Read Oct. 9, 1951 2,916,860Sanford Dec. 15, 1959 2,973,608 Killion Mar. 7, 1961

